Although I'm rooting for Ryan and would choose him over the current field, I don't see how he can catch up to be a serious contender. He doesn't have the fundraising capabilities or name recognition that Gov. Rick Perry has to enable him to be a late entrant.

Karl Rove floated his name last night on the "Hannity Show" as a potential contender.

What was supposed to be a weak, uninspiring Republican field became an action-filled, substantial crop of candidates. A handful of successful governors (Huntsman, Johnson, Perry, Roemer and Romney), another handful of influential former or current members of Congress (Bachmann, Gingrich, McCotter, Paul and Santorum) along with some businessmen (Cain is only one of the pack). Yet, is the field about to get even bigger?

The wonky Republicans are obviously not yet satisfied with the current field of contenders. They want someone that will bring along a hatchet to the Oval Office and they want one that knows how to use it. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels was their first choice, yet he declined to run. Now, their focus is on Rep. Paul Ryan. Among those enlisted on the “Draft Ryan” movement is Daniels, Jeb Bush, Speaker John Boehner and a host of congressmen.

Other Potential Late Entrants

Chris Christie’s approval ratings in NJ are well above Obama’s. His recent attacks on the President also raised speculations. Sarah Palin is still undecided on a run, and Giuliani said that he will decide by September. All of them have national name recognition and a late entry is possible.

Unless Perry really is another potential Reagan, I would seriously like to see Obama win again. If Obama does win, he and everything he stands for will finally be discredited after he really brings the US to the edge of the abyss. Then, there will be a shift back to real American values that will last for 10 terms, rather than just politics as usual from election to election.

Otherwise, we will see constant shifts back and forth in every American election based on sound bites and good marketing, while China, which does not have to worry about elections, walks all over the US.

John Bolton or Newt Gingrich for Secretary of State
Allen West for Secretary of Defense
Bob Barr for Attorney General
Rick Perry for Secretary of Agriculture
Mitt Romney or Herman Cain for Secretary of Commerce
Tim Pawlenty fir Secretary of Labor
Bill Frist for Secretary of Health and Human Services
Jeb Bush for Secretary of Education
John McCain for Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Joe Lieberman for Secretary of Homeland Security

Who would have thought, when you posted this last month, that Rick would have had an even semi viable shot. Funny how quickly things can change. Cain is now totally out of the picture. Bachmann could still show up in some capacity or other, but not likely. Perry should be packing up and going back to Texas shortly.

My dream ticket would be Guiliani/Cain, but Rudy wants to eat hot dogs and go to Yankee games. I guess he has a right to chill out now.

Career politicians and talking heads and academics and trust fund babies who have not made a dime on their own and Jersey governors who cant stick to a diet but put their constituents on a harsh finanical diet equivalent to a 500 calorie a week diet, all with no real world experience, have ruined this country.

The further we go back to the American Founding Fathers, you will find they were capable of "doing" good things, and not "talking about doing" good things. Winning a debate does not translate to rolling up your sleeves and going to work.

Rick Perry undeniably would make the best president out of the pack; he might not be that smart, but he was/is an effective governor and has a proven record that no one in the race (including Obama) can compete with. However, he cannot win Obama in a debate and should therefore not win the Republican nomination.

Additionally, his strategy was a losing one. As I tweeted after his debate flub, he was to focus fully on Iowa -- not with TV ads but with retail (like Santorum has) -- in order to remain viable. His staying in the race now comes across as aloof; he doesn't have the war chest, and even the most stellar debate performance won't put him back on track.

This election season was forcasted to be volatile and shaky from the start. Mitt Romney cannot seem to garner more than 25% of the vote (although his Iowa showing -- despite winning with less votes than in 2008 -- was in line with previous GOP candidate), and the conservatives cannot seem to decide on one candidate. We had a different star weekly and they all faded. Expect Santorum to fade shortly as well; his fiscal record is perhaps quite liberal, and his departure from the Senate wasn't pretty (he lost by 18%).

The best thing for Romney is the fact that the conservatives aren't united around a single candidate. However, it is also a disadvantage for him and the GOP; Romney is not yet prepared for the general and must have a bumpy road in the primaries in order to get roughened up for the Axelrod machine.

BTGuy,

I hope you're not serious. Trump? The biggest attention seeker in the United States for president? If Christie can't close his mouth (for food), The Donald can't contain himself either (for illogical talk)! He'll do anything for his benefit at America's expense.

Am I serious about Donald? Am I the only one? Yes, I am serious, although the level of seriousness is relative with the pack of politicians we see in our times.

I dont care if Trump is also an attention seeker. Obama is worse and he is inept in all areas.

For better or ill, cartoon character or not, Donald has a lot of real world experience, and being a known persona, is not necessarily an unhelpful thing. He can conduct himself on the world stage in a reasonable way, again, in comparison to the others.

Specifically, I like his idea of American nationalism in the economic realm. I believe he is not beholden to anything or anyone, but his sense of commerce, and his own experience, and he will do good things.

The others cannot come near Donald either in rhetoric, and especially contacts and experience.

Christie, I believe, has psychological issues due to his weight problem. Like I said, I believe he cant stick to a diet so he is projecting onto us.

It is horrible to live in NJ. Everything is sky high.

The tone of the Christie Administration is basically: "New Jerseyans, dont expect anything new, and what you already have, will be cut in half".

Yet tax payers kick up more and more and more money to Trenton. Taxes go up, prices go up....everything gets more expensive and you get less for the dollars.

Nothing is filling up the cup?

Christie is horrible.

Back to Trump. I am not voting for personality. I suspect they all are obnoxious in their own way.

Frankly, if you wanted to start or build a business, sorta your own little economy...who would you want to sit down with and talk to???

And, please, I know Trump had problems, and to me, that is a plus that he has had that experience.

BTGuy, I read Donald's book on how to get rich and it didn't work, so...

Trump is not ready to be president (Obama was far from prepared... how did it work?) and he knows it. There's more to the presidency than knowing how to navigate a business and how to hire effective managers; Trump is a successful businessman and rhetorician but that won't help him pay off the national debt (his one-time debt tax plan is ridiculous) and get the economy back on track (Advice: don't follow Trump's predictions, they're usually wrong). Do you really think invading countries for oil will work? Can we afford a trade-war with China now? Do you want universal healthcare (Trump thinks Obamacare is not enough)?

I can expose the chameleon here (who flip-flopped on every single issue more than Kerry-Romney-Obama-Gingrich combined); however, since my time is limited and he's unelectable, I can just tell you that the worst thing for America is a spoiler candidacy by Trump. It will just reelect Obama and continue America's destruction (some conspirators even believe that he's part of the Obama-machine and wishes to ensure him a 2nd term).

I posted here 8 months ago on page 2 -I'm for Gingrich.
I have nothing against Santorum, but I don't think he can win the Republican Primary or the Presidency.
I think it will be either Gingrich or Romney for the Republican candidate.
If Romney wins, I don't think he can beat Obama. And even if he does -he won't do any better job than Obama. Gingrich has what it takes to tackle this horrible economy and make a dent in it!

I read Joe Frazier's book, "How To Box Like The Pros". (I really did) Do you hear of a BTGuy going for a title fight anytime soon? lol Does that fact invalidate Joe's capabilities or legitimacy in the field of boxing?

The problem with politics is that it is a very gestalt thing. The fact is, as with all people, you can create an argument on the pros and cons of everyone. Person A will overlook the cons, and person B will overlook the pros; all on the same person.

I will make a quick stab at responding to some of your points.

As far as being ready for the presidency, let's go back just a little bit, because who was ready?

Nixon? Maybe he was ready, but it did not help him from committing a crime and disgracing America to where we have never rebounded.

Carter was ready? He was lame at best, but did damage all the same.

Reagan was ready? While he has a big following, a priori he was noted as a B rated actor, at best. And, it was said California is not indicative of the being able to lead the rest of America.

Clinton. The economy thrived, although he was a jerk, and if you want to credit Reagan, see above comment on Reagan, and that, de facto, means Clinton was not ready either.

Bush Jr??? He didnt even want the job. And it showed. He got rich and ruined America for good.

Obama? Not prepared, of course. He is keeping America ruined.

Bottom line: Yes, I do think Trump's ideas will work. The career politicians status quo has already sunk America, which is existing only on the fumes of it's past glory.

Trump is our last ditch effort by someone who has worked and dealt with money on the world stage his entire life.

Unless Moshiach comes sooner, we are headed for a Feudal system sponsored by the Republicrats and Demicans.

It is an insult that Americans have to cheer on and pick among these politicians and make believe they will make a difference.

This country was originally made brilliant by people who had world experience. They were not career politicians.

Believe again in another career politician only to feel you have to wait another four years for things to swing the other way. I am not riding that Merry Go Round anymore.

My dream ticket for 2012, is for 1st time in 14 years, to be able to stay up & accomplish something over Shovu'os nite, being this is 1st time in 14 years {since 1998} that Leil Shovu'os is a Saturday nite, so I can sleep Shabbos Erev Shovu'os afternoon instead of running around from work & buying cheese cake.

To all - Read my posts on the previous page and this one and you'll see that I was right. No, I don't have Nevuah (even though some people here think I'm a Shoita) and I don't have Ruach Hakodesh, but I do have common sense, which obviously isn't too common. (Chochom Odif M'novi.)
This isn't to brag, but to show how to think. I admit that I was having wishful thinking in the last few months, but deep down I knew Romney couldn't win.
My wishful thinking never brought me to call Romney as the probable winner like the conservatives did, both Jewish and Goyishe.
So why did these Cons/Repubs think this way? Simply because in order to think clearly you have to take away all Negious. The Cons/Repubs wanted so much to get rid of Obama that when the polls were showing it to be close -they let their Negious take over their thinking and called it for Romney.

The problem is that the Republicans have a long history of nominating centrists rather than conservatives. Romney, McCain, Dole, Bush I, etc. The last true conservative was Reagan. And before Reagan it was way back with Goldwater, in 1964. Even Bush II wasn't really conservative, especially on economic issues.